UAE and Saudi Arabia report drone incidents as Iran war deadlock drags on

DUBAI - A drone strike caused a fire at a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates, officials there said on May 17, while Saudi Arabia reported intercepting three drones, as US President Donald Trump warned that Iran must act "fast" after efforts to end the US-Israeli war with Iran appeared to have stalled.

Emirati officials said they were investigating the source of the strike and that the UAE had the full right to respond to such "terrorist attacks." A diplomatic adviser to the UAE president said it represented a dangerous escalation, whether carried out by "the principal perpetrator" or one of its proxies.

The UAE defence ministry said two other drones had been "successfully" dealt with, and that the drones had been launched from the "western border." It did not elaborate.

Saudi Arabia said the three drones it intercepted entered from Iraqi airspace and warned that it would take the necessary operational measures to respond to any attempt to violate its sovereignty and security.

While hostilities during the Iran conflict have largely been scaled down since a ceasefire came into effect in April, drones have been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The drone that got through the UAE's defences hit an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.

Radiological safety levels were unaffected and there were no injuries, it said. UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation later confirmed that the plant remained safe, with no radioactive material released from the strike.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said emergency diesel generators were providing power to the plant's "unit 3," and called for "maximum military restraint" near any nuclear power plant, adding that it was following the situation closely.

During the war that began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb 28, Iran has repeatedly targeted the UAE and other Gulf states that host US military bases, hitting sites that include civilian and energy infrastructure.

Iran stepped up such attacks on the UAE earlier in May after Mr Trump announced a naval mission to try to open the Strait of Hormuz, which Mr Trump suspended after 48 hours.

Diplomatic deadlock

More than five weeks after a tenuous ceasefire in the conflict took effect, US and Iranian demands remain far apart despite diplomatic efforts to end the war and reopen the strait, the world's most important shipping route for oil and gas.

Washington has called for Tehran to dismantle its nuclear programme and lift its hold on the strait. Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to a US blockade of Iranian ports and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Mr Trump, whose harsh rhetoric has failed to break the stalemate, said in a post on Truth Social: "For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!"

Mr Trump is expected to meet top national security advisers on May 19 to discuss options for military action regarding Iran, Axios reported.

Mr Trump held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week without securing an indication from China that it would help resolve the conflict and has previously threatened to resume attacks if Iran does not agree to a deal.

A senior spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, said on May 17 that if Mr Trump's threats were carried out, the US would "face new, aggressive, and surprise scenarios, and sink into a self-made quagmire".

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the US and Israel had tried to shift the blame for destabilising energy markets following their "unprovoked military aggression against Iran".

Rival blockades

The disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has caused the biggest oil supply crisis in history, pushing up prices. The US has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports, and said that as of May 17 it had redirected 81 commercial vessels and disabled four vessels to ensure compliance.

Mr Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian Parliament's national security committee, said on May 16 that Tehran had prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the strait along a designated route that would be unveiled soon.

Thousands of Iranians were killed in the US and Israeli airstrikes. Thousands more have been killed in Lebanon in fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

Israel and Lebanon agreed on May 15 to a 45-day extension of a ceasefire there, though the truce has failed to end clashes. REUTERS